Unique in its name and concept, Ryne offers Melbourne a stylishly relaxed restaurant and bar in the heart of Fitzroy North. Referring to ‘a course that is continuously moving onwards‘, the restaurant’s name has Anglo-Saxon origins that tunefully assimilate with the British heritage of owner and chef, Donovan Cooke. Ryne’s ambiguous definition may refer to a patron’s experience, whereby the diner is taken on a continuous journey from start to finish, bringing to life the chef’s gastronomical creations and ideas; or, it may come from a chef’s perspective, signifying the accumulation of skills and knowledge in the industry, ultimately culminating in a persistent strive for improvement and perfection. No matter which way you look at it, Ryne’s potential is seemingly endless.
Since its opening in October of 2017, Ryne depicts an intended departure from the more upmarket, fine dining restaurants that Donovan has owned and managed over the past few decades throughout Europe, Hong Kong and Melbourne. Aiming to be a local establishment that customers enjoy frequenting every couple of weeks or so, the design and ambience of Ryne is pared back to resemble a venue that people will regularly visit because of the comfortable feel and enjoyable experience that is offered, on top of the quality food, wine and service. Business partner Vicente Montalban is responsible for the interior design and layout of the restaurant, choosing to focus on exposed brick and light-coloured timber to portray an industrial warehouse vibe, along with dark grey cement flooring that simultaneously contrasts yet compliments the fashionably casual tone. Add in a front-room sofa and cushioned chairs amongst the spacious table settings, and customers can breathe a sigh of relief that they won’t need to worry about spilling red wine on white tablecloths… because, there are none.
Encouraging the slightly more relaxed concept of Ryne is the calm and approachable nature of the staff, and in particular, of Krystelle Cooke (Donovan’s daughter). Her knowledge of the wine list is understandably confident given her role as the restaurant’s Sommelier. However, her dedication to the restaurant as a whole is pleasingly observed in her friendly conversations with customers throughout the restaurant, on topics that are not restricted to the wine menu, but also include asking customers how the meal was, offering advice when ordering from the food menu, and openly discussing the restaurant’s concept and inception to those who express interest. It is this genuine interest in customers’ thoughts and opinions that makes them feel valued, and supports Ryne’s intended desire to be an approachable venue for all.
Commencing customers’ experience at Ryne, a centrally-located bar welcomes ‘Happy Hour’ drinks and a bar food menu that challenges the usual sticky finger-friendly options. Prepare for slightly more sophisticated, yet still beer-friendly, items such as Spicy Tempura Prawns with chilli aioli, Wagyu Beef Cheek Croquettes with truffle mayonnaise, or vegetarian-friendly Corn Polenta Chips with harissa, just to name a few. On cold Winter nights, the house-made Mulled Wine is a must-try!
Upon arrival at the table, the dining menu is presented, listing an intentionally condensed choice of six entrees (‘An Opening…‘), six mains (‘The Main Event…‘) and three sides (‘Accompaniments…‘). Perusing the combination of ingredients listed within each dish, it is seen that ingredients utilised are mostly seasonal, with the current menu showcasing an abundance of Winter-grown produce that appropriately support the meat or seafood main event of each dish, with a couple of vegetarian options available as well. To keep things exciting for both the kitchen team and their regular customers, the menu is rotationally changed every couple of weeks. Inspired by classic French cooking techniques, the menu successfully blends tradition with contemporary, and demonstrates Donovan and fellow business partner, Alex Law,’s fine dining training and expertise through the precise preparation of ingredients, and the purposeful plating consistently presented.
To start the eating, a complimentary amuse-bouche arrives in the form of wallaby tartare with wasabi dressing, half-sitting atop a house-made crisp bread that forms the vehicle for the raw, lean protein. A perfectly delicate glimpse into the style of cooking and cuisine at Ryne.
Amuse-Bouche
House-baked Bread and Butter
As an entree, Prawn Cannelloni arrives impeccably presented, featuring an overwhelmingly tasty prawn mixture wrapped inside a rolled squid ink pasta sheet, served alongside orange marmalade, butter-poached prawn, shellfish foam and baby coriander. The balance between sweet citrus and bitterness in the marmalade compliments the seafood on the plate unbelievably well, whilst the marriage between the shellfish foam and butter-poached prawn elegantly melts away in the mouth. A consistent theme throughout Ryne’s menu is this infusion of unique flavours into sauces and foams to not only complement, but also to enhance, the other ingredients on the plate. A style of Donovan’s cooking that hopefully never disappears.
Prawn Cannelloni ($26.00)
Pan Fried Scallops arrive as a trio, accompanied by crushed apples, beetroot puree, cider foam and a fried pillow of black pudding. Translucent and charred to perfection, the scallops are cleverly balanced with earthy flavours from the beetroot puree and black pudding, whilst the ever-popular flavour of Apple Cider is given a complete revamp through its crafty deconstruction and play on ingredients used.
Pan Fried Scallops ($25.00)
Moving onto mains, Donovan’s signature dish of olive oil salmon has remained on the menu, with his intention being for it to remain a constant, but prepared differently and paired with varying ingredients according to the season. The delicate piece of Olive Oil Confit Ora King Salmon easily flakes away to reveal thin bites of pink salmon, whose rich flavour is toned down by roast curry cauliflower, spiced carrot sauce, apple, and a fino sherry and golden raisin puree.
Olive Oil Confit Ora King Salmon ($36.00)
For the meat-lovers, Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek tenderly pulls away with a gentle prod by the fork, appropriately contrasted by the slight textural resistance of the lightly charred outer coating. Topped with swede, tendon, pickled shimeji, parsley essence, pancetta and smoked butter, the quality of every ingredient in this dish could put it in the running for dish of the year, in my books. My only gripe? The modest serving size of this dish, leaving a desire for more substance on the plate.
Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek ($37.00)
Italian Coleslaw ($9.00) (cabbage, fennel, capers, onion, parmesan)
To finish, the dessert list is similarly compact in its choices, but maintains the theme of contemporary classics through its variety. Valrhona 64 Manjari Souffle intentionally challenges the norm by resembling a cross between dense lava cake and airy souffle, with the coffee anglaise poured into the souffle to create a puddle of chocolatey-coffee goodness. The double cream ice cream and chocolate crumb supplement the dessert, whilst the cubes of Kahlua jelly will give you a sufficiently strong hit of the coffee-flavoured liqueur, thus finalising this clever deconstruction of a Kahlua-spiked espresso martini.
Valrhona 64 Manjari Souffle ($20.00)
Cinnamon Scented Rice Pudding is cooked to a perfectly textural softness with some bite, topped with mulled wine poached Winter fruits, candied pecan nut and a yoghurt sorbet. Light in flavour yet hearty in substance, this is the ideal dessert with which to satisfy that desired hint of sweetness at the end of the evening.
Cinnamon Scented Rice Pudding ($18.00)
Enlivening the dining scene in Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs, Ryne is definitely a restaurant worth visiting for those seeking an enjoyable, and approachable, experience. The desire to steer away from the fine dining market is portrayed through the rustic design of the venue, as well as through the comparative affordability of their a-la-carte dishes, and set menus and degustations. As is the latest trend in Melbourne’s dining scene, serving quality food in a comfortably accessible setting is a reliable selling point for Ryne. Although the meticulous preparation, construction and presentation of the food could still be considered a facet of high class dining, this approach to cuisine is becoming the norm these days, with people happy to experience slightly smaller portions of exceptional quality ingredients, provided the prices are reasonable. Safe to say, Ryne has nailed this one to a tee.
Note: I dined courtesy of Ryne Restaurant. The opinions, comments and photos presented in this article belong to the author, and need to be approved before being used by others.
Ryne 203 St Georges Road Fitzroy North, VIC 3068 Ph: (03) 9482 3002 Email: [email protected] Hours: Dinner – Wed-Sun 6pm-late, Lunch – Sun 12-3pm.
Donovan Cooke's latest venture: Ryne, Fitzroy North. Unique in its name and concept, Ryne offers Melbourne a stylishly relaxed restaurant and bar in the heart of Fitzroy North.
